Midnight Phantom
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A newly hired police chief vows to clean up a notoriously corrupt police department. When he is murdered, investigators find that there is no shortage of suspects, most of them being fellow cops.
- Addeddate
- 2009-12-21 14:28:50
- Color
- black and white
- Director
- Bernard B. Ray
- Identifier
- midnight_phantom_1935
- Run time
- 00:56:46
- Sound
- sound
- Year
- 1935
comment
Reviews
Reviewer:
Poohbah70
-
favoritefavorite -
August 23, 2019
Subject: Go Get A Snack And wait fIor The Phantom
Subject: Go Get A Snack And wait fIor The Phantom
Another 1930s murder mystery that has a plot that stretched credulity and tries patience. For 45 minutes we're treated to a panoply of possible murderers - even though he's in plain sight all the time. Love will make a person do strange things. How he did it, rather than who did it is the subject of the last 10 minutes and brings a note of humor to the already silly story. Those 1930s screenwriters really stretched themselves too far on occasion, trying to think of something new. The actors are all okay, trying to make the most out of a trying script.
Reviewer:
Big Boomer
-
favoritefavoritefavorite -
March 17, 2017
Subject: Irregular Direction
Subject: Irregular Direction
Bernard B. Ray does not show his best work here.
However, considering that in 1935 he produced more than 20 films and directed another 14, he may not have had much time to perfect actors' performances.
The pace of dialog in this film is stilted at best. Reginald Denny certainly tries but even a seasoned pro needs some direction and that does not seem to happen.
The writing is stronger at the beginning and weaker at the end. One can get the impression that the last act was also the last shot and was hurried so that Ray could get on with the next project.
Even weak B-movies like this one made a modest profit though.
All in all, if the viewer adjusts expectations a bit, this film will be entertaining.
However, considering that in 1935 he produced more than 20 films and directed another 14, he may not have had much time to perfect actors' performances.
The pace of dialog in this film is stilted at best. Reginald Denny certainly tries but even a seasoned pro needs some direction and that does not seem to happen.
The writing is stronger at the beginning and weaker at the end. One can get the impression that the last act was also the last shot and was hurried so that Ray could get on with the next project.
Even weak B-movies like this one made a modest profit though.
All in all, if the viewer adjusts expectations a bit, this film will be entertaining.
Reviewer:
uncleoscar
-
-
March 23, 2012
Subject: just a comment
Subject: just a comment
Lee Prather (Captain Perkins) was my Mothers uncle. This is the only movie of him I have ever
seen. It was quit enjoyable to finally see my
"movie star" uncle.
seen. It was quit enjoyable to finally see my
"movie star" uncle.
Reviewer:
Dr Feel Rotten
-
favoritefavorite -
January 24, 2011
Subject: Reggie done it? Say it ain't so!
Subject: Reggie done it? Say it ain't so!
Nah..it was the old woman, of the tough captain, or the vice squad dude... or...his daughter.. You gotta watch it to see the silly ending!
This begins great..I had great expectations, but it just went off the cliff in the end..
This begins great..I had great expectations, but it just went off the cliff in the end..
Reviewer:
billbarstad
-
favoritefavoritefavorite -
July 9, 2010
Subject: Murder For Love
Subject: Murder For Love
What is presented is a snapshot of a police department in turmoil after a major shakeup by the chief of police, along with complicating personal issues involving the chief. The acting is decent, it's interesting, and the pacing is good. A lot of red herrings are presented, but no one kills for being dressed down, over a change in position, or when they're innocent of malfeasance, so it's easy to winnow the suspects down.
I thought this was going to be a fun mystery, but after the chief is finally murdered (at a midnight gathering, thus the title), the story takes a break from credibility. To start the nonsense off, we get this statement by Reginald Denny's character, who virtually chokes on it, "It's distilled by jungle indians in the upper reaches of the Amazon, fierce little pygmy tribes with only the crudest of weapons." It concludes with unbelievable actions by the hero followed by astounding conclusions about how the crime was committed. Yeech.
During the car chase in the second act, the shadow of the camera truck is clearly visible on the cars involved. I can forgive that error, but not the ridiculous ending. This movie has better acting and pacing than Murder in the Museum, another mystery which ventures away from reality, though not nearly so far, to further it's plot, and get to a solution.
I downloaded the 587MB MPEG4 file. The print had seen better days, with many missing frames, even sections of film, leaving it about 7 minutes shorter than listed at IMDb. the other copy here at IA is the same length.
I thought this was going to be a fun mystery, but after the chief is finally murdered (at a midnight gathering, thus the title), the story takes a break from credibility. To start the nonsense off, we get this statement by Reginald Denny's character, who virtually chokes on it, "It's distilled by jungle indians in the upper reaches of the Amazon, fierce little pygmy tribes with only the crudest of weapons." It concludes with unbelievable actions by the hero followed by astounding conclusions about how the crime was committed. Yeech.
During the car chase in the second act, the shadow of the camera truck is clearly visible on the cars involved. I can forgive that error, but not the ridiculous ending. This movie has better acting and pacing than Murder in the Museum, another mystery which ventures away from reality, though not nearly so far, to further it's plot, and get to a solution.
I downloaded the 587MB MPEG4 file. The print had seen better days, with many missing frames, even sections of film, leaving it about 7 minutes shorter than listed at IMDb. the other copy here at IA is the same length.
Reviewer:
picfixer
-
favoritefavoritefavorite -
February 7, 2010
Subject: With friends like these, who needs enemies?
Subject: With friends like these, who needs enemies?
This is an odd one. The opening forty-five minutes of this fifty-nine minute who-done-it are spent establishing the motives of the victim's potential killers, which doesn't leave a hell of a lot of time to solve a complex crime. Never fear. The murder finally takes place at a police lecture on criminal personalities, during which there is an incredibly un-PC lineup that is more laughable than offensive. Like many '30s mysteries, the solution stretches credulity to the breaking point, which actually is part of the fun. The suave Reginald Denny has star billing, but this really is an ensemble piece with others getting more screen time. The bottom line is a 2 ½ star mystery that gets an additional ½ star for being an interesting curiosity. Recommended for who-done-it buffs looking for something unusual. FOOTNOTE: This appears to be a typically glitchy Alpha Video print with cutouts that reduce the runtime by about two minutes. Fortunately nothing of significance is lost.
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